Tag: mountains

Natural Disasters: How To Save Yourself While On Treks

Natural Disasters can occur anywhere. Whether you are resting at home or working at your desk, you are never really safe from nature’s forces. But right precautions and swift action has proven to be a life saving force for many. When you are out trekking in the Himalayas or in the western ghats near you, chances are your misfortune strikes and natural calamities occur. Times like these, being smart and quick is the only savior. Be your own hero and for that, here are ways for you to save yourself from these natural disasters when you’re on a trek in the mountains or in the western ghats.

Mountains

  1. Snow Avalanches

Imagine trekking and enjoying the climb when the ground gives out and you get suppressed under so much snow that you’re literally buried under it. Scary right? But this is what an avalanche does and if you’re planning a trek or climb to high altitude mountains, you must be prepared to bravely face this kind of a calamity. 

One major tip that you will hear experts give you is to make an air pocket in front of your face. When you’re buried under thick snow, the first thing you need to do is breathe so that you can further plan your escape. For this, wait till the snow has stilled completely and dig a pocket in front of your face with your hands. Take small inhales so that you do not exhaust your oxygen reserves. Also, when you hear people around you, an air pocket can ensure you call out for help. Swimming your way out of the snow is also a way to get to the surface. However, ensuring you carry snow shovels and other equipment will help you the best.


2. Rock Falling/ Landslides

Rock falling or landslides are the deadliest disaster to claim lives in the mountains. These can happen due to earthquakes, erosion or other reasons, but the point here is how to protect yourself?

Techniques like self-arrest will be taught to you if you’re training to be a mountaineer. These techniques will help you save yourself the best when rock falling occurs. However, when you see a landslide coming your way, run to your left or right instead of running downwards. It is often seen that a zigzag movement can help you escape the path of the landslide. Make sure you’re well-trained in knot making before you climb a mountain. For example, ropes are used to ascent and descent steep areas in the mountains. Knot making can come handy when you secure yourself to a fixed object during a landslide, something that will stay put even during a landslide. You won’t believe how handy a rope can come when it comes to saving your life in the mountains. 

3. Volcanic Eruptions

There is a reason trekking, mountaineering and other outdoor activities like these are termed as adventure activities. It’s the thrill that is the pull factor here. Many such thrill-seekers climb active volcanoes too. But safety is a must if you want to come back alive and narrate your daring stories to the world.

Firstly, if an eruption occurs, leave immediately. That’s the golden rule of survival that you do not get to avoid. However, do your homework before beginning the climb. Check for reports and telecasts to find out any recently anticipated volcanic activity. Carry all the necessary safety equipment like goggles, mask, flashlight, radio, etc. Breathing volcanic ash is way too toxic for your lungs, hence these equipment are a must!

4. Solar Radiation

The higher the altitude, the thinner the atmosphere. We all know how dangerous UV rays are for us. In high altitude regions, these harmful rays are more dominant and can cause serious skin damage, sometimes even cancer! Precautions need to be taken to avoid damaging your precious skin.

Sunscreens with high SPFs will come very handy, so don’t you dare forget them. However, no one can be a better advisor than a Dermatologist when it comes to the matters of the skin. Consult a trusted dermatologist before you begin the trek or climb. Proper headgear, sun-protect goggles, etc are a must too!

5. Crevasse

These are the deep open cracks that appear on the surface of glaciers or in high altitude regions. Falling into crevasses has seen many deaths and trekkers/mountaineers need to be careful while crossing them.

Ice screws and crampons can be used to secure yourself when you fall into a crevasse. While rescuing others, pulleys and carabiners can be used. Honestly, self-rescue techniques can only be reliable if you’re well-trained in mountaineering. Otherwise, secure yourself and do not try to climb up, wait till others rescue you. With roping up, the rescuers should ensure that the rope is strong enough to hold the person’s weight. 

Western Ghats

  1. Heavy Rains

If you’re wondering how heavy rains can be life threatening on a western ghat trek, let me tell you how. Heavy rains can be a great distraction to our vision and we all know that while you’re trekking, visual distractions can have disastrous effects. Damp soil can also lead to problems if your legs get stuck in them. Getting wet in the rain can cause various other health related problems like hypothermia as well. Heavy rains fill up the streams up to their full capacity and hence, crossing them is also dangerous due to the fast flow and level of water.

Be prepared with raincoats and footwear with good grip. Invest in windbreakers that will not only keep you dry, but warm as well. Ensure you’re setting up your tents in the area that is not too damp. Heavy rains also instigate insects, reptiles and leeches to attack. Hence carry necessary repellents and equipments. If you’re a first time trekker, trek with an experienced group or guide. 

2. Animal Attacks

The western ghats are abundant when it comes to flora and fauna. And even though they add to the beauty of these natural places, they also become quite dangerous. Animal attacks are a common occurrence when trekking in the western ghats are concerned.

Run or fight? Actually, the best answer here is to stand still. Animals usually attack when they feel threatened by outsiders like us. If we stand still, we are proving to them that we mean no harm and that could save your life. Having a trained guide with you, who knows how to deal with such situations is the best precaution you can take. Snakes are a common sightings in these regions. Again, do not move till they pass and you’re good! Be considerate, respect the animals and you’ll be safer than you’ve ever been. Some animals that can be threatening in the ghats are, elephants, leopards, black panthers, foxes, etc. 

3. Forest Fires

Forest Fires have become a common occurrence due to climate change lately. These are rapidly spreading calamities that can burn an entire area within hours. Hence being stuck in the forests of the ghats can become very life threatening.

Check local air quality reports and consult local guides before planning any treks in these regions. The best thing you can do when a forest fire strikes is to run the opposite way! Take note of the direction the fire is spreading and immediately spring into action. Call for help if matters get way out of hand. 101 is the fire emergency number in India. Remember!

Being prepared is the key here. If you know what exactly to do and when, you’re not only saving your own life, but others as well. When life throws lemons at you, make lemonade. What I mean is…be handy and you’ll live longer!

Compiled by: Shrija Bhattacharya

shrija.b9@gmail.com

If you wish to go on a trek or a camp anytime soon, let us take you with us. To book your slot visit www.getbeyondlimits.com 

For any further details contact us via email – connect@getbeyondlimits.com

Ishan Sharma and the Mt. Frey Experience

“Never take a mountain for granted” – Ishan Sharma

Not many know about Mt. Frey, but those who do, know that this is one of the most beautiful and difficult mountains to climb in India. A beauty in the Himalayas, Mt. Frey was a dream peak to climb for Ishan, someone who knows no limits when it comes to adventures in life. His story with regard to climbing Mt. Frey is an inspiring tale to those who aspire to be mountaineers. And that’s exactly what he shares with us… a story to inspire!

Mount Frey is a difficult mountain to climb. Tell us about your experience.

It was a very varied experience. When we say we are climbing a mountain, we end up thinking about that one instant when we reach the summit, look at the view and forget how we got there. The journey was a mixture of different kinds of experiences and once on top of Frey, it was absolutely worth it.

Technically, From Chaurikhang, back to Chaurikhang it took us four days.

DAY – 1 The first day was called Load Ferry. So, Load Ferry essentially means that you carry your load like, food, utensils, cylinders. All of us had to carry around 15kgs of load, per person till the base camp of Frey, where we left our luggage. That day it was snowing really bad and the weather was not favourable for Load Ferrying at all, but we had to do what was planned.

DAY – 2 The next day we took our personal luggage, just the essentials that we required for the next two days. Along with that we carried some extra items like, ready to eat noodles, packed food, chicken and some utensils. Part of the things we carried were our stuff, part of it was kitchen equipment and tents. We reached the camp at Frey on the day two by the afternoon and we did nothing during the evening.

DAY – 3 We started around 2 am on the third day. This was the day we reached the summit and then came back by 3 pm. So, that was around 11-12 hours of mountaineering. After that we were too tired to go down and the weather was not favourable. So, we spent the night again at the camp of Frey.

DAY – 4 On the fourth day, we woke up early and had to Load Ferry again. We had consumed all the food, but we still had utensils and other things to carry. And then we made it back to Chaurikhang.

How different was Mount Frey from the other mountains you have climbed? What are your dream peaks to climb, like every mountaineer has one?

Mt. Frey was a very technical mountain, unlike anything I’ve done in the past. The gradient of climbing was also much higher. Mt. Frey was very rocky and the amount of snow was very intense. There were moments when my legs, up till my waist were covered in fresh snow and if you don’t take out your legs properly, chances are you will fracture your legs. I’d never experienced that before.

Mt. Frey was the No.1 on my “To climb list”. There is a story behind this. So, back in 2015 when I completed my Basic Mountaineering Course, Salwat sir (Team GBL) had already done his basic course by then and he had told me about this beautiful mountain called Mt. Frey. Till then I wanted to climb the Everest like any other mountaineering aspirant, but in 2015, during my basic course, I’d just sit at the camp and look at Mt. Frey. From that time on, Mt. Frey was the most beautiful mountain I’d ever seen. In fact in 2019 when I decided to do my Advance Mountaineering Course, the applications for Frey were not available. One of the main reasons why I applied in Himalayan Mountaineering Institute again was so that I could look at Frey again.

There is a very beautiful mountain in the Swiss Alps called Matterhorn. I put it No.2 on the list of the most beautiful mountains after Mt. Frey. Before I climb Everest or any other mountain, my heart would be at Matterhorn.

What were your thoughts when you were about to start the climb to Mt. Frey?

I was very excited. I was reminding myself constantly that I’ve worked very hard to get here. Another thing was, I kept telling myself that the next two days, I will remember for the rest of my life. I could remember it for two reasons, either I would make a great excuse or I would make a great story. I get to choose how I remember it and I choose to make a great story.

What were your thoughts after reaching the summit?

I thought I will go on top of Frey and start crying and my tears would freeze mid-way. But nothing of that sort happened. When I got to the summit, it was definitely a satisfying feeling, but it wasn’t like the way anybody would anticipate. It was very different because when you’re actually at the summit, you realize that it is just half done. Going up is optional and coming down is mandatory. Yes, there was a sense of satisfaction and a sense of gratitude, but when I reached on top, I was not in that zone wherein I was shedding tears of joy.

However, for the first time in my life I got to see Mt. Everest. There are many other ways to see the Everest, but I saw it from another peak. For example, there is a Micro-light plane from Kathmandu that goes around Everest and comes back and you can see the Everest from the sky. You can also view Everest from the Everest base camp, but looking at Everest from another mountain that you just climbed is a bonus, especially after around 11-12 hours of climbing. I told myself that if I ever see Everest, I’ll see it in worthy light. The first time I saw the Everest, I was on top of Mt. Frey.

Any problems or dangers that you faced during the climb?

Absolutely! So, there is a thing called “Anchoring,” that is, you either tie a rope around a big rock or around a natural anchor like a tree, but there aren’t any trees at that altitude. Or you use technical equipments that will hold the rope. So at one point, we had tied our rope around a very big rock and around ten of us successfully used that rope to climb up and climb down. There were three people who faced trouble. There was this one guy from the Army and as he was getting down, that huge boulder slipped and it was about to almost topple him. If not kill him, it would cause him permanent damage. It just missed him by a few inches and since his entire weight was on the rock, he was weightless at that point. He could barely manage to save himself. There were other two also who were dependent on the rope, but they managed to be safe. But this was an incident where if anybody would be hurt, at that altitude, there was no scope of rescue. We had come a far way from Chaurikhang.

Frey, like I said is a very rocky peak. And because of the snow, the rock kind of gets covered by it. So it is difficult to pick the rock. There were moments we had to rock climb and fix-rope. There were moments when I was rock climbing and I could feel that the rock is about to fall and if it would fall, the person behind me would get hit. So I had to make sure that the rock doesn’t fall. And I think even the others ensured that, but even that could’ve been extremely dangerous.  

Now that you look back on the experience. How different is the feeling now compared to then?

Very different. At that moment I couldn’t digest it, but now when I think about it, I’ve digested it partially. I know that it was once in a lifetime experience. I was really lucky to get passage to Frey top and back. When I look back now, I realise that there are so many things we got exposure to. It was so cold there and we lived in a place where there was absolutely nothing else. During the advanced course training, we lived in the campus where batches would come and instructors would be familiar faces. Here things were very different. There was no civilisation around us and the experiences varied. People kept getting stuck in fresh snow and the wind was so intense that there were moments that we had to wake up in the middle of the night and hold the tent, so that it doesn’t fly off.

Was there any point during the climb where you felt like you might not be able to make it? What kept you motivated to keep going?

One of the criterias for climbing Mt. Frey was that the basic course had to be done recently, but I’d done it far back in the day. So I thought I wouldn’t go, but one hour before it started, the instructors told me that I can do it and that I had to pack up my stuff immediately. Hence I was going through a turmoil of emotions throughout.

After the second day’s Load Ferry, I was so fatigued. It had never happened in my life before… I just wanted to lie down and do nothing. One of my friends came up to me and told me that I had “Glacieritis” I don’t even know if it’s a real thing! He probably made it up. But that scared me at that time because I didn’t want to fall sick on the mountain, so I immediately got up. This was one such moment when I genuinely wanted to just lie down and stay like that, but what kept me going was when he told me that I was suffering from a particular problem.

Any tips for those who aspire to climb Mt. Frey?

Not just Mt. Frey, but any other mountain for that matter. Never take a mountain for granted and not just Mt. Frey, but if your preparation is less, you shouldn’t do it. Do not wait for the odds to be in your favour, but instead make sure that the odds are in your favour. So, I’d just say that know what you’re signing up for. Yes, best news comes after the hardest climbs.

Can you tell us something interesting about Mt. Frey that you learnt while you were there?

Mt. Frey is named after a famous mountaineer named George Frey. It is believed that George Frey was on a mission to climb Frey along with Tenzing Norgay, but before they started, they got into an argument. George Frey with confidence did not listen to the advice of Tenzing Norgay to put on his crampons and eventually fell and died. Legend has it that George Frey’s Ice axe and crampons are still lying at the base of Mt. Frey.